Tightening grass supplies and poor underfoot conditions on sheep farms are making it difficult to manage stock, as is often case at this time of year, and it may be tempting to regraze.
The mild back-end to the year saw grass growth hold up well and left farms in a good position in terms of having grass to graze further into the winter.
Farms where ground conditions are holding but grass is scarce, have been supplementary feeding to keep ewes ticking over in order to delay housing for a little longer.
For farmers doing that, make sure to keep moving feeders/troughs around to avoid poaching.
The aim for March-lambing flocks should have been to have 60% of the grazing area closed by December 1, and to have 80% of it closed by mid-December.
Grazing management for the remaining 20% will depend on your system. Higher-stocked farms may be aiming to have 100% closed.
Temptation to regraze
According to Teagasc, each week ground is grazed in December, it will reduce grass availability next April by 150kg DM/ha – when it is more valuable.
So, if underfoot conditions are poor and grass supplies are tight, it may be best to think about housing your flock of ewes now, or in the very near future.
Over the coming weeks, it’s important that farmers don’t undo preparations for the 2021 season by regrazing closed paddocks to delay housing or supplementation by a few further weeks.